CAUSAL FACTORS AFFECTING THE OPERATIONAL EFFECTIVENESS OF THE DAMRONGTHAM CENTER IN THE LOWER NORTHERN REGION 2 OF THAILAND

Abstract

This research aims to 1) Study the factors influencing the effectiveness of the Citizen Complaint Center, 2) Analyze the confirmatory factors of the causal factors influencing the effectiveness of the Citizen Complaint Center using structural equation modeling, and 3) Examine the causal relationship between the effectiveness of the Citizen Complaint Center and the confirmatory factors using structural equation modeling. This is a quantitative research study. The population and sample consisted of 820 civil servants and Citizen Complaint Center personnel in the lower northern region of Thailand, selected using stratified random sampling. The research instrument was a questionnaire developed by the researcher and validated by experts. Data analysis included mean and standard deviation, confirmatory factor analysis, and path analysis. The results indicated that: 1) The mean and standard deviation of strategic leadership ( = 3.94, SD = 0.42), core competencies ( = 4.01, SD = 0.37), organizational communication ( = 4.02, SD = 0.36), organizational culture (  = 4.00, SD = 0.35), and the effectiveness of the Public Complaints Center in the Lower Northern Region 2 ( = 3.99, SD = 0.36) were all at a high level when compared to the established criteria. 2) Confirmatory factor analysis using a full structural equation model showed results that met statistical agreements, with Chi-square = 150.56, df = 143, P-value = 0.31605, and RMSEA = 0.010. 3) The causal relationship according to the structural equation model indicated that the effectiveness of the Public Complaints Center was directly influenced by strategic leadership, core competencies, organizational communication, and organizational culture. Simultaneously, it was indirectly influenced by strategic leadership through organizational communication and organizational culture factors. Furthermore, it was indirectly influenced by core competencies, transmitted through organizational communication and organizational culture factors. These five factors significantly predicted 93% of the dependent variable, the effectiveness of the complaint center, at a significance level of .05, which aligns with the research hypothesis.